Stories of Tie Up Games

Bit of a change of tack for me. Do you like it?

The evening sun peeked through the kitchen blinds, casting a warm glow on Jan's freshly baked cookies. She had just pulled them out of the oven, the sweet aroma filling the room as they cooled on the wire rack. Jan, a 36-year-old curvy blonde, wiped her flour-dusted hands on her apron, the cool tiles beneath her bare feet a welcome contrast to the hot oven, and glanced at the clock. It was almost time for her twins, Matthew and Livvi, to come home from school. She felt a twinge of excitement; she had a surprise planned for them today.

As the door swung open and the twins' laughter filled the hallway, Jan stepped into the living room to greet them. Matthew, with his mischievous grin, looked at her with curiosity. "What's going on, Mom?" he asked, tossing his backpack aside and kicking his trainers off revealing his sweaty bare feet sticking out from his jeans. Livvi, her eyes sparkling with excitement, clutched her books to her chest. "Is it a surprise?"

Jan, her own smile growing, nodded. "Remember when we used to play 'Kidnap the Twin'?" The twins exchanged glances, their laughter fading into smiles as they recalled the old game. They had played it when they were much younger, a harmless bit of roleplay that had them giggling for hours. "Well, today," she announced, "We're playing 'Grown-up Kidnap'."

“So how does it work mum?” Said Livvi as she put her books down in the coffee table and began to unbuckle her sandals.

“You are going to be kidnapped and you have to use your wits and work together to escape.”

Matthew’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Can we tie each other up?”

“You can’t tie each other up. That’s down to me today.” Said Jan with a cheeky grin.

The twins looked at each other with a mix of excitement and apprehension. They had played games like this before, but never with their mom as the kidnapper. She had always been the one to save them. Jan noticed their hesitation and quickly reassured them. “Don’t worry, it’ll be just like old times. I promise it’ll be fun and nothing scary, just an adventure!”

Matthew’s curiosity won out, and he took the lead. “Okay, let’s do it!” He said, pumping his fist in the air. Livvi nodded, her eyes shining with determination. Jan’s heart swelled with love for their willingness to indulge her. She decided to start off simple, setting up a mock crime scene in the basement.

“OK. Down the stairs we go.” She said.

The basement was dimly lit, with a single bulb flickering ominously in the corner. Jan had gone all out for the game, setting up a makeshift kidnapper’s den with a couple of chairs and ropes. The twins exchanged glances, a hint of doubt creeping into their expressions. But Jan’s playful wink put them at ease, and they allowed themselves to be secured to the chairs with soft cotton scarves, giggling nervously as they pretended to struggle.

Jan tied their hands behind their backs, their ankles to the front legs of the chair and then blindfolded them. “OK. You’ve been kidnapped “she said as she smoothed strips of medical tape over their mouths “Time starts now.” And she went upstairs shutting the door behind her.

The twins heard her footsteps on the creaky stairs fade away and silence descended, broken only by the distant gurgling of water in the basement pipes. The basement suddenly felt cold and eerie, and their laughter had been replaced by the sound of their breathing. They sat still for a few moments, letting the reality of the game sink in.

“Oh. Hello” said Jan as her friend Rachel walked in unannounced wearing a bright red top, leather skirt and seamed stockings, her jet black hair in a messy bun. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

Rachel, a fellow divorcee and Jan’s closest confidant, raised an eyebrow at the sight of Jan’s apron and the smell of freshly baked cookies discarded books and shoes and some coils of rope in the floor “Well, when you don’t answer my calls, I take that as an invitation to crash your party. But what exactly is going on here?”

In the basement, Matthew and Livvi sat bound to their chairs, the initial thrill of the game giving way to a more serious focus. They knew their mother had left them a clue to escape, but they hadn’t expected to be left in complete darkness. The hard wood of the chairs bit into their skin as they shifted uncomfortably, trying to listen for any sounds that might give them a clue.

Matthew tugged at his scarf bonds, feeling the knot tighten. He could hear Livvi’s breathing, quick and shallow. "Mddd," she whispered through the tape, "rrr ooo ohray ?”

"Urring on igt," he murmured back, his voice muffled by the tape. They had to stay calm and think. Their mother had always encouraged them to solve problems together, and this was just another puzzle to crack. They had to communicate without talking.

Matthew began to feel around with his feet, searching for anything that could help them. His bare foot hit something metal and cold. A screwdriver! In his clumsy attempts to grab it with his toes, he kicked it towards Livvi's chair, or so he hoped. He was also hoping she'd feel it. Seconds later, he heard her shuffling, and the sound of her chair scraping against the concrete floor as she tried to get to it.

Livvi's heart raced as she felt the cool metal under her foot. She slid the screwdriver along the floor, hoping Matthew would get the hint. The tension in the room was palpable, the only sounds their muffled breathing and the occasional drip of water from a leaky pipe. She managed to nudge her chair closer to Matt’s, her bound hands and began to reach for the knot behind her back. Suddenly she felt Matt’s fingers.

Matthew had realized that the only way to escape was to untie each other. He worked with surprising deftness, considering his hands were bound and blindfolded. His thumbs found the right spot and started to work the knot holding his sister’s hands loose. Livvi felt the scarf give way slightly, a wave of relief washing over her.

Livvi, with her now free hands, pulled her blindfold off then worked on the scarf around her ankles. The fabric of the scarf was tough and the knit tighter than her hands, but with a bit of manoeuvring, she felt the knot start to loosen. The sound of the fibres parting filled the tense silence.

“Ow!” She pulled her gag off then stood back to look at Matthew. The thought of leaving him tied up appealed but she felt input best to help him out, mum had said team work after all.

Matthew felt the scarf around his own eyes come off. He blinked in the dim light, his eyes adjusting to the shadows. They were both free, but the game wasn’t over yet. They both ran up the stairs but found the door locked. Jan had told them there was a clue hidden somewhere in the room. They had to find it to truly escape.

Matthew's eyes scanned the room, looking for anything out of place. He spotted a piece of paper sticking out from under one of the chairs. He picked it up and tried to read it out loud: "I don’t understand this!” He said.

Living took the note “That’s because you didn’t do Spanish.” She said reading mum’s best Spanish writing attempt. “Well that’s why she left the screwdriver.”

“What?”

“The key is in abix and she’s left this maths problem of which screws we have to undo to get it. And I’m rubbish at maths!” She translated the problem from Spanish realising this was teamwork with Matt’s natural aptitude for numbers. The box they found , having deciphered another Spanish clue! In their old toy box and using some maths and logic and the screwdriver retrieved the key. Unlocking the basement door they then called to mum but there was no answer.

“Here look at this.” Said Matt. “It’s not mum’s writing.”

“Your mum has been kidnapped. If you ever want to see her again bring all the cookies to…”an address and instructions to place them in a box and go home then wait ten minutes.

“Do you think it’s a trap. “Team work. One takes the cookies the other hides and watches.”

They set off together when they got to the place the note said , Livvi walked with the cookies to the wooden box then went home whilst Matt hid in the bushes watching.

Livvi sat at home waiting the ten minutes when Matt came bursting in. “Hey guess what, I just saw.” Just then the phone rang. They both stared at it. It rang twice more then the answer phone clicked on: “hello. Jan and gather gang don’t want to talk to you right now so you know what to do. Beeeeep.”

“Go Check The car.” Said the voice before hanging up.

The children rushed into the garage where they found the car unlocked. On the back seat lay Jan, gagged an blindfolded with scarves, her hands tied behind her back, ropes round her upper arms and chest and her ankles and knees bound. They quickly took her gag out and asked her what happened as they tried to untie her limbs.

“Back in the kitchen. “I was going to say I just saw Rachael pick opus the cookies.” Said Matt.

“Yes when I left you down there,” said Jan “I came back up found Rachel had come round for a surprise. I explained the game we were playing and she said she had a way to spice it up with a new twist.”

Just then the door opened again. “These cookies were delicious but I can’t eat them all by myself.” Said Rachel still in her über smart clothes compared to Jan and the kids jeans, shorts and bare feet.

All four of them hugged and laughed at the fun they’d had and the family bonding, in more ways that one.

Nice little twist.

Pedants would say it should be (F/fm, F/F) but that would give the game away.

Another great story with a fun twist! And I found myself engrossed in the escape room style challenge. I’ve been enjoying all of your stories so far and this one is no different. Well written, with great description of the ties, and clever fresh ideas. Thanks for writing!

I love how the plot switched around. Great job adding the little clues for escape.
Thanks for sharing!